Amelia Christnot is an Oglala Lakota, Kanien'kehá:ka Haudenosaunee and Métis Navy brat who settled in the wilds of Northern Maine. A member of the Indigenous Journalists Association, she considers herself another proud Maineiac.
Movies and TV shows can depict perfect families where everyone is loving, understanding, and supportive. But reality is a lot messier. All families go through periods of strain and miscommunication, but some families are toxic. While people hope parents prioritize their children’s health and well-being, it’s not always guaranteed. A daughter struggling with her mother’s […] More
The popularity of vegan diets has risen in the past few decades. Unlike a vegetarian, vegans eschew all animal byproducts, including honey, milk, and eggs. Vegetarians don’t eat meat, but they can choose to be lacto—dairy products—or ovo—eggs—vegetarians. Pescatarians—people who don’t eat meat or poultry, but do eat fish—and pollotarians—people who eat poultry, but not […] More
Alcohol has been part of human culture for at least 10,000 years. The discovery of late Stone Age jugs indicates intentionally fermented beverages existed at least as early as the Neolithic period. Perhaps because of the time and care required to brew, alcohol was tied almost exclusively to ceremony and celebration for millennia. As the […] More
When a person finds love, the person they want to spend the rest of their life with, they hope their friends and family will accept and embrace the person as they have. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, the animosity is justified because their beloved is a destructive force in their life and their […] More
When two people enter a relationship, that’s usually a sign of their compatibility. But just because they click doesn’t mean their extended network will. They may not like each other’s friends, or their friends may not like each other. But is that cause to end friendships? A wife who dislikes her husband’s friend turned to […] More
Division of labor in a household is a frequent cause of conflict in relationships. When one party feels like they do most of the work, resentment can build up until it explodes. A father who feels like a single parent turned to the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subReddit for feedback. Middle-Candidate5497 asked: “AITA for giving […] More
I grew up in a very small town of about 2,000 people. There were 200 kids in my high school which also had kids from five other small towns in the surrounding area. At 56 kids, my senior class was tied for the largest ever. Now imagine dating as a high school student… With the […] More
For many people, especially those who live alone, pets can become their closest companions. Their relatively short lifespans can lead to serious heartbreak when it’s time to say goodbye. But not everyone bonds with non-humans, and not everyone will understand the level of grief a pet owner feels after saying goodbye to a beloved companion. […] More
Being a stepparent can be very rewarding, but getting there involves dating a person who has children. Which can be a minefield. Are they looking for a significant other or childcare? A woman dealing with this question turned to the “Am I The A**Hole” (AITAH) subReddit for feedback, writing a post in a very unique […] More
Siblings sometimes bond better if there’s a significant age gap, five years or more. There’s less rivalry and the relationship ends up more of a mentorship. Sometimes siblings don’t bond at all because of an age gap. They’re at different stages in their lives. There isn’t a lot they have in common in their day […] More
Some people love all human babies, finding them all adorable. Other people, not so much. For those people, there are ugly babies in the world. Baby lovers don’t understand this and can’t see it. Of course, telling a baby, or anyone around them, that they’re an ugly baby is rude. But what if they still […] More
Infidelity in a marriage isn’t just between the parties directly involved, especially when it ends a marriage. There are extended families and children who live with the consequences of two people’s actions. While some people live with a philosophy of moving on for the sake of any injured parties, not everyone is willing to forgive […] More
